My body fat, tape measurements and scale weight are all performed while fasted (first thing in the morning before eating or drinking).

All measurements are taken “cold” (no pump), and flexed.

A 7-point or 9-point body fat caliper pinch test is the most accurate “at-home” method of determining one’s body fat percentage, but even in the most skilled hands calipers have a margin of error up to +/-3%. The key is consistent readings from one week to the next: the actual number is not that important (to me). With that said, I believe my caliper body fat reading is consistently 1.5% – 2% lower than my actual body fat percentage. For example, if my caliper indicates 5.6% body fat, I believe my actual body fat is probably around 7.1%.

If you want the most accurate body fat percentage reading possible, go have a DEXA test done.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE:This is the exact equipment I use to track my progress every week

Over the past week I’ve lost 1.18 pounds of fat and lost 0.02 pounds of lean mass. Since the beginning of my spring 2016 cut I’ve lost a total of 3.91 pounds of fat and lost a total of 2.49 pounds of lean mass.

My tape measurements (as measured by the MyoTape Soft Tape Measure) indicate a 0.25″ loss from my waist, a 0.25″ loss from my quads and a 0.25″ loss from my chest. Since the beginning of my spring 2016 cut I’ve lost 1.0″ from my waist, 0.5″ from my hips, 0.5″ from my quads and 0.25″ from my chest.

Here are this week’s actual tape measurements:

Location

Current Measurement

Waist

31.50″

Hips

37.50″

Forearms

12″

Arms

14.25″

Quads

22.00″

Calves

15.50″

Chest

40.00″

ANALYSIS

A near carbon copy of week #2 in terms of progress: down another 1.2 pounds, all fat. Steady as she goes.

DIET

Diet this week was clean, and 100% to plan. No cheat meals, no alcohol. Not even a splurge snack, although I may have one today.

TRAINING

It was another very long work week for me. I don’t think there was a single day in which I did not work at least 16 hours. My riding time was extremely limited, but I made sure to exercise every day. Today I’ll be doing another short ride, and lifting.

WRAP-UP

With my activity level comparatively low, I’m happy with my progress so far on this cut. This is particularly true because I’ve not had to cut my calories down beyond what I’d normally eat around this weight while cutting. I suspect that’s not going to hold true much longer, and I may need to trim a few calories within the next week or two if my activity level remains where it is. That’s a strong possibility, as there’s no sign of these long work days letting up any time soon.

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